These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…1 John 5:13

God will not blot out any true believers name.“He that overcometh… I will not blot out his name out of the book of life...” Revelation 3:5 / “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5

God’s power keeps usWho are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5/ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. John 10:29

We can’t break Gods seal…in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise…which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph 1:13-14

Can we take back what is no longer ours?For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Cor 6:20

Not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter…… into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21And then he will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:23. This passage is not saying one can lose their salvation, but that God never new them to begin with. (See also Heb12:3-11)

We can’t buy our salvation (good works are the product not the means)For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created unto good works… Eph 2:8-10

Dose once saved always saved mean I can sin all I want? (no!)What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that Grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?This shows clearly that if you aren’t willing to live for God now how can you say that you were truly saved in the past?

God sent His son so that we could have Everlasting Life, the meaning of life everlasting is that it cannot and will not end. (see John 3:16)

We see here in vs. 11-13 that the son wanted his inheritance and to be out from under his father's hand of protection.

We know the story He goes out he spends, he lives it up, becomes broke, hopeless, lost.We know that parables are designed for us to take application from them, to apply them to our own lives and think.

vs 12. Even when God knows we are making a bad decision He allows us to choose. Just as Adam and Eve had the choice to take of the fruit every human on earth has the choice to do right or wrong and God allows us to choose either.

The Father could have said no or what do you want to do with the money, but no. He just gave him what he asked for.

Just as our Heavenly Father freely allows us to do as we please, He allows us to take what we want.

﻿Sin is taking what we want when we want it instead of receiving what we want when God gives it. ﻿

Vs. 13There are many things this guy could have been thinking. Perhaps he said to himself "I am quite something now that I have all this wealth." "I can do whatever I want, why am I even living here"

So he left, and noticed what it says "wasted his substance."

Pretty much in this life we have two options we can take all that God has given to us on earth and party or we can allow God to control our inheritance and allow him to give us things at his pleasure.

Psa 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

Vs. 14 Here we see why it is a good idea to not to take things at our own pleasure.

WHY?

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

No matter what we do to make a life of defiance against God it will always ends in ruin.

Vs. 15 Even after all the fun is over we try to make the life of defiance work. Listen it will never work.

It didnt work for this guy it didnt work for Adam and Eve or even the entire human race.

Because doing your own thing may be fun for a while but eventually it will leave you empty and hopeless.

So then now what?

Vs. 16 We see him still trying to make it work, trying to make the best of the decision he made.

Really, how foolish can we be sometimes we see the pleasures of this world as something desirable?

When I was a boy I saw this chocolate cookie on the floor, I thought this is great, I don't know why its on the floor but it don't care its mine now. I when to pick it up and squish in between my fingers our new little dog had left a little present and it wasn't a cookie.

The question here is how low will you let sin take you. It may seem interesting at first but once you grab hold of it you most certainly will regret it, and have a stinking mess on your hands.

This man has no money and now his only choice is to have dinner with the pigs.

"In short religion alone is not the answer"Religion means in Latin means to re-bind which could be taken one of two ways: either as some would believe being part of a "religion" re-binds or reunites one to God. Others believe that Religion "re-binds us to unnecessary ritual and ceremony which do not really get us closer to God. It is interesting to know that the words 'religion', 'yoga', and 'yoke' share the origin. So although Religion either way means to bind to something I think that the key is, what have we bound ourselves too? God alone or a system of good deeds and holy days? I guess the real question is what does Gods word say about it? >Is religion in the Bible? Yes it is, in more than one way. 1st you have the religion of James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. The word religion in the Bible means "an outward action of worship" Which can be good! But 2ndly we can have and outward display of worship that does not honor God at all. But Christ warned Christians not be like the Pharisees (Mat 6:5) And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.Being a Christian is not at all about looking good on the outside. 1 Sam 16:7 God looks on the heartMat_23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Mat_23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. While witnessing to a friend he said "I cant believe it Darren there are so many people in churches that are doing "stuff" and think that because they do all this religious stuff that they will go to heaven. Its so sad to think that they work so hard to get to heaven and its not even good enough. They are being lied too"!Isa_64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.Being a Christian is however all about following Christ. 1) And we can be complete in Him In Colossians we find Paul wrote a letter to a church telling them not to get caught up in pointless traditions Col 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. We need to remember that we are complete in Christ and the law was only our teacher. Showing us that we are not perfect. (Gal 3:24) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.So the law did have a purpose and that was to bring us to Christ. The Law helps us realize that we can not keep it and we need Christ in order to go to Heaven. (Gal 3:25) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.Notice here once we have faith in Christ we are no under the law anymore.Why? Because it says in. 2Co_5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.2) Nailed to the Cross Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; All the things that we could try to do to gain salvation Christ removed and nailed them to the Cross.Isa_1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Tit_3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;You see no matter how good we are and how much good we do, it can not pay for the fact that we have all sinned. And we needed Christ perfect payment on the cross to pay for our sin. Rom_3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;Rom_6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. John 3:16 For God so loved... The Bible does not say you need to believe and do this, this and this. NO its simply says believe! Good works and good deeds are a by-product of believing in God. After all the Bible encourages us to do good things. Heb_10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:Good deeds don't create salvation they come from salvation. Remember all our sin, all our feeble efforts for righteousness are nailed to the cross. They are gone. The requirement for getting to heaven is believing in Christ, and by believing in Christ acknowledging that it is His payment for our sin and only His payment for our sin that can save us from our sin and the penalties of it. I would encourage you today that if there has not been a point in your life were you prayed to God and acknowledged His payment for our sin, do it today!Please talk to me if you have any questions, I am here to help.

Why do bad things happen?A fundamental aspect of being human free will. We decide to get out of bed, we decide to brush our teeth. And in both of those decisions are sub decisions which side of the bed will I role out of, how long will I brush for and with how much intensity. You see decisions happen almost every minute of our lives. It's an integral part of being human. I am sure we are all aware of is bad decisions, right?Its actually a law its called the law of cause and effect or like in physics, Sir Isaac Newton’s third Law of Motion, which states that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. You see its a simple fact of the universe, for every choice we make there will GUARANTEED be a positive or negative reaction. Because of this law, when Adam and Eve were in the garden they had a choice obey God and continue in a sin free, perfect paradise or CHOOSE their own way and eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Before they disobeyed God they had no knowledge of good and evil. Why? Because they had only ever experienced good.Now because their is sin in the world we see all sorts of sin and the consequences of that sin.But how could God allow us to be deceived and fall into sin if He knew it would bring so much heart ache? God would not be a good God if he only every allowed us to make good decisions. This would take away our free will, and we would cease to be human. Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Now before you think God is not fair remember that we had a free will to choose and God is a good judge and a good judge can not overlook sin. SufferingIts not only our sin that can bring sadness and repercussions, but others sin as well. Sin will never only affect the doer. To base ones happiness on our circumstance when its something that often changes and they can't fully control will only lead to disappointment. So were do we go from here?We all have done wrong at some point, we all know there are consequences: (Sadness, heartache, stress, anxiety, depression) How many times have we wished for something to go right! Good news! God cares and He has a planHe caresMatthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.If he noticed a bird he will notice me. Psalms 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? So before you think God doesn't care think again, He cares more than we know.

If you are suffering in some way today…if you are the victim of some evil…if you are confused about your life…if you are wondering why you are experiencing so many bad things…Just know that even though bad things happen to "good" people God is so loving and so powerful that he can take all of that and make the final outcome good.He SavesIn the Bible it says that the wages of sin is death ? Well that is found in Romans 6:23 and the rest of that verse says.....But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is only one person who has ever lived a truly good life. His name is Jesus Christ, God’s one and only son. Even though he lived a sinless life, God allowed him to experience sadness, pain, and even death. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ suffered so we don't have too. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. "I have set before you life and death, a blessing and a cursing: Therefore choose life!' (Deuteronomy 30:19) I hope you choose a New LIFE today!

Can we be past salvation?Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,One could look at this verse in horror and think they inevitably must be doomed. We can not take a few random verses out of the Bible and swing our eternity on them.What the writer of Hebrews was saying here when he said "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" is, yes there is in fact no more sacrifice for sins. This is because Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice. Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.There is no need to make any penance, offering or sacrifice for sin committed after one accepts Christ as Saviour. To do this the writer of Hebrews says would be like crucifying Christ again. As if to say Christ's original work was not good enough. Silly when you really think about it and yet many churches today believe you can lose your salvation or go to far that Gods arm of Grace can't reach you. The whole of the Old testament and the New points to one thing and that one thing is Salvation.God wants men to be saved, He is not playing games with our souls. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

If we could lose our salvation by some work of disobedience than we would have to conclude that we could gain our salvation by a work of obedience. We know that Salvation has never and will never come down to a work we do or don't do. Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; An incorruptible inheritance~The very power of God will keep us. 1 Peter 1:4-5 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.~Our Salvation is sealed Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,~ God gives a promise you can count on 2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.~Never means never John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. It's a gift. ~A Gift from God is a sure thingEcclesiastes 3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. ~The gift of eternal lifeRomans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.~That you may know 1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.~Never thirst again John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Take the Gift!Romans 10:9-11 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

In the matter of drawing nigh to God or seeking a relationship with God. It seems that some would say they have a relationship with God because the made a decision once or they asked Him for Salvation. But lets ask ourselves; does receiving something mean you mean you value that friendship. Or if you decide to be someone's friend does that mean you now have a meaningful relationship? I think everyone would agree a relationship on any level takes work. Time and effort are required to get to know another person. And just like it takes effort to get to know someone it takes effort to know God. ~Knowing God~ God gave the children of Israel a promise and I believe we can claim it too. Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. God does want us to seek Him the Bible says, but that is the sort of thing that is not just going to happen on its own, notice it says "when ye shall search for me with all your heart."Prov 18:17- I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. David knew this that is why he said in Psalms 42:1-2 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?-Do we thirst after God? Psalms 63:8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. ~Seek Him and you will meet Him~ 1Chron 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually

Are you a Christian because you want Heaven or because you want God? -Thats like saying I married my wife because she makes good apple pie, how do you think that would go over? Not so good. But if i say "dear I married you just so I could be in your presence, and to know you more." Any relationship should not be about what you can get but what you can give. John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Isaiah 55:6-7- Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: ~ That I would know Him~ To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love...A.W.Tozer Phil 3:7-10 Paul left all behind just so that he could know God and the power of his resurrection. Forget it all nothing will satisfy the heart but the God who made it. Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. What is our relationship with God worth to us? Is it worth enough to give up temporal glee for eternal gain? Luke 5:11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. Forget the busyness, the programs, the events and get alone with God. Psalms 40:6 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. I wonder what joys await those who will choose to follow hard after HIM?

Bitterness- Identify and exterminate. Bitterness can be deep feeling of anger or resentment. - Bitterness A root of bitterness is a very interesting thing. You cant see the bitterness, and many times it goes unnoticed even by the person that has it. This is why it is described as a root, its under the surface. This is why we need to look carefully an examine our own lives to see if there is any bitterness. Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; The root of bitterness has destroying properties, and if left unchecked will hinder your happiness, your relationship with others and your relationship with God. Needless to say we should seek out, identify and destroy any roots of bitterness in our lives. - Identify In Identifying bitterness one must be honest with himself. What am I stressed or angry about? What bothers me? Often these things are a result of resentment (IE) bitterness. It doesnt even have to be some hurt you endured, it could be the fact that you dont seem to have enough, or you may have an ailment. These are the type of things that can entice us into bitterness. -Remember you dont have bitterness, bitterness has you. Romans 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.Bitterness is often followed by outward actions. It just goes to show that what we think will eventually come out. Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: Bitterness can be spotted by us taking notice of any anger, resentment or speaking ill of another individual. So once we have found were our root or Roots of bitterness are we can show them the door.-Exterminate Now although we can get rid of bitterness by thinking it. It may be an everyday thing. We are daily being bombarded with seeds of bitterness that if we allow will turn into roots of bitterness. It all comes down to our choice. We can exterminate bitterness by changing our attitude~First of all if everyone thought of everyone else as better than themselves. We will exterminate the root of bitterness. Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.~Secondly if we remember how much we have been forgiven it won't seem so hard to forgive others. Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. In the area of bitterness and anger we must realize that it is entirely about how we respond. Our life is only effected when we responded to a situation. Someone gives you a hundred dollars- you responded with a very big smile. When an outside force effects you in a positive or negative manner you choose how it will affect you. Well at least how it will effect your attitude. Have you every done something nice for someone and have them be completely unimpressed? ExactlyOr have you ever been short with someone and had them respond with a humble attitude? shocking isn't it?We can react properly to our circumstance it just takes a bit of effort. ~Thirdly forgive others for what they have done. Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: ~Fourthly forgive others for what they haven't given you. (something you feel you deserve) Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. I deserve more love, more friendship, more attention, more appreciation, more acknowledgment. Dont we feel like we deserve more. God says to forgive them, God says to remember what you have been forgiven, Gods says to put others before yourself.

Rooted in the word In the area of being rooted in the word the bible says that it is fantastic if we don't walk with the ungodly.Getting uprooted from the World Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.In essence we should try to to stay away from any aspect of sin whether its condoning it, collaborating in it or being completely comfortable in it. Pull up the Roots!

If much of our life is spent in spiritual warfare and suppressing the flesh than why in the world would we want to have friend that would make it harder to live right? Of course we need to be friendly and loving but careful. -You often will become like those you spend time with.Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. -Why would we ever want what God has given so much to save us from. 2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, We need to be careful about who our friends are! They can hinder our potential for Christ.Prov1:10 My son if sinners entice thee consent thou not. Don't think I am crazy, but we need to uproot ourselves from those who aren't living right. 1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.Getting rooted in the Word. Notice how there does not see seem to be any middle ground its either walking with the world or rooted in the word. After all the bible does say you are either cold or hot, salt or not. Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.Gods word is the most beneficial thing you could be rooted in. Gives us truth....John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.Cleanses us .... Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,Keeps us from sinning...Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. The word of God is a power source that will never run out, will never get old, will never get dull...Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Being rooted in the word will make you prosper and have success. In life yes but most importantly in your Spiritual life.Rooted near a Water source. Psalms 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalms 92:13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. Being Planted on the word of God is safe, its satisfying, its secure, and it is our strength! A tree planted by the water is strong, its not affected by the drought of this world. It will bear fruit in his season, it will prosper. Its leaf will not wither, it will not get tired, it will not get dried up. A tree planted by the river cant feel weak because it is planted on its source of strength.

Rooted in FaithColossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:Question, was Christs work complete? yes of course. Next question since Christ's work is complete and we have received Him how should we walk in Him? Completely? Since God has bought us, I would say He wants all of us, correct? He did not pay such a tremendous price to receive part of us! Being rooted in Him really gives us the ability to be stable, sure, steadfast, single minded, and safe. We have a lot to be thankful for. Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. We are rooted and then built up in him which is the establishing of our faith. After all, faith will, with out doubt, produce what is seen above the soil. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. How can you love someone you do not believe? How can you obey without belief? How can you act on the phrase "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" without having faith? Will you choose to be rooted in God, He is our only source for our strength in the Christian life!.....Because if you are not completely rooted in Him.....Who are you fooling?1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.